Background: Montel “Monty” Jones was a typical high school slacker and tough guy, the kind that teachers passed just so they didn’t have to deal with them. He fell in with the rougher crowd who were willing to break the law to do what they wanted, and eventually hooked up with another young thug named Corey Mathers. Together the two of them developed a reputation as good, reliable muscle and soon they were both brought into a gang being formed by Reymond “Rey” Cruise, and soon the pair were enough money to buy all the things they wanted; the hottest shoes, coolest clothes, best rides and of course the girls who liked bad boys who had all those things.

Life was good as far as Monty cared, he did as he was told and enjoyed his work. Even the few times he got pinched by the police was worth it, being a minor there was little they could do to him with the little bit of evidence they could get their hands on. Eventually though things went sideways when one of Rey’s plans went seriously wrong and even though Monty and Corey had managed to give the guards chasing them the slip they heard the accident Rey fell into. They managed to find him quickly enough to help him get away as well, both exposing themselves to the chemicals he had been soaked in and soon Monty developed his hyper reflexes and that combined with his already growing fondness for pistols he was a one man violent assault, ready to be pointed as Rey wanted.

Like most young men of his background, Monty took part in the performing of several small time crimes, at Rey’s urging and they quickly found themselves in prison. While there Monty and Corey spent their time learning how to better handle themselves in fights as well as be better thugs for their boss. Once they got out a couple years later Rey had the idea of creating the Skids, a means for the three of them to climb out of the dead end of low-end super crime and make something of a local name for themselves as information brokers in Freedom City.

Background: Corey Mathers grew up very similar to that of Rey Cruise and Monty Jones, underprivileged in the Fens where teenagers can easily fall into the sway of those who are better suited to make use of such young men. At an early age Corey discovered an aptitude for physical confrontation, constantly getting into trouble for fighting. Corey didn’t care as he normally won the majority of those fights, even when he was outnumbered Corey held his own and that made him get noticed. Along the way he met Monty who was an agile guy and new how to pick his shots, favoring fast moves and throwing things in a fight which soon moved to a preference for firearms which he was naturally skilled with.

Together the two of them made a name for themselves and quickly brought in as the muscle for Rey Cruise, a budding criminal genius who put them to work on several of his schemes. Making them all a lot of money very quickly and insuring the loyalty of Corey and Monty. Then there was the attempted robbery at a pharmaceutical company where Rey ended up covered in a mixture of several chemicals that Corey and Monty exposed themselves to helping him escape the security guards.

Like Rey and Monty, Corey developed powers. Able to withstand injuries better than most prize fighters, physically stronger than someone of his build as well as the ability to create a explosive release of energy upon physical contact. It only made Corey more dangerous and able to help Monty pull off the jobs Rey came up with to get the three of them into the big time. Though those plans landed the trio in jail where their powers were nullified and they were exposed to more experienced criminals who ended up teaching them how to be better crooks upon their release.

For his part, Corey loves his work as Kayo (his chosen “working name”). Doing much of the heavy lifting work of Watt’s (Rey’s) plans, when someone needs a visit to remember a payment for services done or to give Watt’s his cut it’s Kayo who’s sent to collect or remind. Often with Magnum sent along to help him out, not that Kayo really needs it.

Section 8: A part of AEGIS that makes use of low-level metamen to investigate criminal cases involving other suspected low-level metamen. The team operates as part of the Special Operations Division within AEGIS and is only answerable to the Chief of the Special Operations Division and Director Powers.

Dr. Lee Rosen- A doctor of both psychology as well as a general practitioner that was one of the first members of the medical profession to specialize in the study of metamen, he is the leader of the group. Doctor Rosen is driven to help metamen who lack control their abilities or suffer problems/hardships because of those abilities, and to stop dangerous metamen.

Gary Bell- A young man with autism who is socially functional to a degree, he is a prodigious savant that has the ability to perceive all electromagnetic radiation (classified as transduction) and process information as fast as a computer.

Cameron Hicks- A former Marine whose brain can process movement at a much faster rate than others (classified as hyperkinesis). This allows him to perform amazing athletic feats of timing, superhuman reflexes as well as perfect accuracy with firearms or thrown objects and also allows him, for example, to predict trajectory by eyesight or perform trick shots.

Nina Theroux- A young woman that is able to mentally ‘push’ others into doing whatever she verbally asks of them (classified as Hyper Induction). During her late teenage years Nina used her power to support herself after running away from home, becoming addicted to the chemicals her brain released when she used her power until Doctor Rosen found her and helped her overcome her addiction and she now works with Section 8 in an effort to redeem herself.

Rachel Pirzad- A former CIA linguist with the ability to ‘heighten’ one of her five senses to extreme levels, by disabling all of the others (classified as synesthesia). She uses this for instance, to view things at a microscopic level or detect complex chemical composition by scent. The fact that all of her senses are permanently heightened to a degree above normal, along with her synesthesia, makes it difficult for her to interact socially.

Bill Harken- A former FBI agent with the ability to activate his endocrinal ‘fight or flight’ response at will, resulting in increased durability, endurance, speed and strength. He cannot keep this up for very long due to the stress it causes his body. He was suspended from the FBI due to anger issues resulting from the stress of his ability.

Special Agent Kathy Sullivan- Agent of AEGIS and liaison to Dr Rosen's team for that organization. She oversees the tactical operations the team is involved in; her second in command is Agent John Bennett, a lower ranking member of AEGIS.

New York City is the largest city and largest metropolitan area, by population, in the United States. It is an international center for politics, theatre, music, fashion, finance, and culture. New York City houses the United Nations and is home to many famous landmarks; the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. It is also a known hub of metaman activity with the current roster of the Sentinels headquarters being located within the city’s limits as well as independent heroes like Grasshopper, Manhunter, Facade and Cyberhawk operating in various neighborhoods.

Over the years there have been several major events that have occurred within the city limits including an invasion by the space-faring Grue, and the second Terminus Invasion, but the heroes of this city have managed to keep it from being destroyed. An interesting fact is that several of the local heroes tend to favor certain burrows over others, giving the general public the notion that each considers said burrow "theirs" but that isn't the case. It's more that they have focused their efforts on certain elements of crime that have taken root in those burrows and are determined to deal with them, the only exceptions are Manhunter, who goes wherever his current 'prey' operate, and the members of the Sentinels, who go where they are needed.

Notable Heroes:

Cyberhawk: Jefferson Talbot spent over a year travelling Europe following the his family’s company being run into the ground by his deceased father’s board of directors, who really were in the pocket of Antone Lone (a local syndicate boss who’d held a long time grudge against the senior Talbot). Jefferson eventually figured who was behind his family’s troubles and after secretly returning to the U.S. he used a custom suit of power armor he’d been developing while on his trip as his weapon against Lone and his organization. After over a year of conflict, Talbot finally managed to defeat Lone in a one-on-one fight (Lone was secretly a metaman) as well as get the evidence he needed to prove Lone’s involvement in corporate raiding of the Talbot business and send the criminal to jail (where he died under mysterious circumstances). Due to the corporate espionage that had been used to dismantle Talbot’s company the federal court returned all of it’s assets to Jefferson as the sole member of the family and using technology he’d developed in the past few years he managed to relaunch the company and returned it to the forefront of advanced technologies market. Jefferson decided to keep using the Cyberhawk identity since he enjoyed the challenges he found acting as a hero and despite a last dig from Lone before his death that revealed Jefferson as Cyberhawk, he’s still counted among the heroes active in New York City (despite Jefferson’s “type A” personality).

Facade: Aaron Stewart was just one among a few hundred of actors making a living working in various Broadway shows when he was approached by an older producer with an offer of the lead role in a new show he was developing; a show about a man selected by an aging super hero who was looking for someone to carry on his work once the old hero was gone. Intrigued by the concept Aaron spent months talking with the producer and training to learn the various skills he’d need to pull off the role, which fit well with Aaron’s “method acting” style. It wasn’t until eight months later that the producer, pleased with Aaron’s progress revealed that the story of the old hero was his own and Aaron was the person he’d chosen to take his place as New York City’s resident vigilante Facade. At first Aaron was confused and angry; he refused to comply with the old man and stormed out of the old theater the pair had been working out of. A few weeks later Façade was killed while fighting a gang of criminals and Aaron was contacted by a lawyer who told him he’d been the old producers sole beneficiary and had everything the producer owned was now his. Days later as he walked into the old theater he’d spent so much time with the producer Aaron realized that he at least owed it to the original Façade to try and follow his thirty year example. So Aaron broke into the city’s evidence storage and reclaimed the Façade costume and mask and set to doing the best he could to follow the original’s lead, all while maintaining the illusion that he is the original who is somehow immortal and constantly hunting down criminals be they mundane gangsters or the more unique costumed variety.

Grasshopper: Teenager Marc McGlothlin’s mutant powers manifest, granting him superhuman strength, reflexes, resistance to injury as well as the ability to cling to any surface but he must shrink down to a size of only a few inches tall. At first Marc is thrilled to have powers and after quickly familiarizing himself with them he then assembles a makeshift costume and hits the streets to “see what he can find”. Soon Marc began taking his responsibilities as Grasshopper more seriously and applied himself when dealing with the odd assortment of themed metamen crooks he began to encounter on a regular basis. Active now for several years Grasshopper is attending college in his secret identity and has finally managed to get somewhat serious with his long time girlfriend, Laura. He still patrols around town on a regular basis, ready to deal with all manner of crooks and criminals with a smile on his face and quip coming out of his mouth.

Manhunter: Retired professional mercenary, Chase Ramsey returned home to New York to repair his relationship with his younger brother only for him to be killed by a metaman merc hired by a local crime boss. Ramsey’s brother had been one of the prosecutors on the case and the crime boss had decided to make an example of him. This drove Chase to use the skills he’d developed as a mercenary to get justice for his brother. Despite finding the killer and discovering who had hired him, Chase was unable to make anything illegal stick. He then decided to continue using his skills to help others so that they wouldn’t have to suffer the injustice his family had been forced to endure.

The Sentinels: This current roster of the team (Blackheart, Hardcore, Iron Angel, Speed Demon, Technomancer, Think Tank, Troll, Sebastian Arcane, and Wildflower) is the third, and includes a few legacies of the founding members from the 1940s, and has just within this last year celebrated it’s fifteenth year anniversary (currently tying the previous team’s tenure and they look to exceed them as the longest incarnation). Over the years there have been many members, most of whom hold reserve status and are always willing to lend a hand in a crisis.

This gathering of the Sentinels came about due to the Hierophant and his minions trying to open a dimensional gate for their god, the cosmic clockwork consciousness Ex Machina, so he could enter and consume the Earth. Hardcore, Speed Demon, Wildflower (a powerful plant controller), Think Tank (a psychic with very physical abilities), Troll (a Russian metaman who‘d come to America after the end of the Cold War) and Sundance (an energy manipulating marksman) came together to oppose the criminal and once he’d been defeated (though the Hierophant managed to escape) the group decided to remain together seeing that they worked well together and there were no active teams of heroes during that period of time. They called themselves the Sentinels in part due to the connection several of them had to the original team and the fact that many of them had been inspired by that generation’s activities. Doc Steele (being the only original member remaining) officially gave his blessing to the new team and donated a private island that he’d boughten from the government in the 1980s. Fortress, as it’s called, is approximately a mile off the coast and had been originally raised by the Prometheans during one of their schemes in the 1970s and following a defeat by that era’s Sentinels with Doc Steele’s help was turned over to the government before Omnitech Industries purchased it to use as a testing site for new technologies.

Their next adventure was the Terminus Invasion of 1993, they’re credited with helping to keep New York City from being as ravaged as badly as Freedom City was and it’s due to that fact that they are as popular as they are with the people of NYC. Over the years there have been other members of the Sentinels; Spoilsport (a power mimicking, wise-cracking hero), Technomancer (Hardcore’s brother and Doc Steele’s youngest son), Brimstone (a mage who eventually went on to take a position with the Lodge), Onyx (a scientist bonded to a symbiote that grants her cosmic energy manipulating powers), Horus (originally a member of the previous incarnation of the Sentinels who returned to this plane, once again chasing his ancient foe the Serpent Queen and her cult of followers), Dragonfly (that shrinks down to a few inches tall, gaining insect looking wings and energy blasts), Shadowfox (raised by to be an special operative (otherwise known as an assassin) for a shadow initiative within the government that went rogue and possess the usual super-spy skill set as well as the ability to open what she calls “fox holes” that she uses to teleport short distances) to name a few.

Often times the members of the Sentinels are active in solo action all about New York (as well as across the country due to their personal interests) but don’t hesitate to call upon their teammates if they find themselves dealing with something they can’t handle on their own. They also work with AEGIS from time to time but lately they’ve not been called upon as the newly reformed FORCE Ops in Freedom City brokered a deal with the government agency to act in a similar manner in return for certain allowances as recognized members of law enforcement. This doesn’t mean that the Sentinels aren’t busy however, as they all have their personal interests and foes they face on semi-regular basis (though that list is to large to share here) as well as the likes of the Black Knights, the Sinister Circle, the robotic consciousness driven known as the Assembly and the time-traveling conqueror Praetorian among others.

Notable Villains:

Brain Trust: Five VIPER scientists who were chasing after immortality as well as keep themselves from having to go to jail, Brain Trust is actually a robot body that holds the brains of it’s five creators, who acting in unison are capable of impressive feats of psionic power as well as the physicality of the robotic body that houses them. After escaping VIPER Brain Trust moved to New York and has slowly building the beginnings of a proper network of crime. He knows there are players active here that could wipe him out despite his being more of a physical threat but they have better resources than he does so for now he bides his time and tries to appear as none threatening as he can and still be respected in the criminal underworld.

David Rhodes: A former, semi-popular hero called Titan, Rhodes parlayed his fame into something of a career. Making appearances in various popular television shows and even a couple movies as well as getting a regular gig as a motivational speaker. From there Rhodes was able to turn a large profit which he then used to start up his own business, Titan Industries, which has become a mammoth in the entertainment industry as well as backing several (back then) beginning scientific think tanks that have only increased Rhodes’ personal fortune to the point that he’s considered to be among the ten richest men in America.

The problem is that Rhodes secretly seeks to gain as much power for himself as he can and is very willing to use whatever underhanded and criminal methods he deems needed to accomplish his bid for personal power. Currently Rhodes is among the top leaders of organized crime in New York City, his only competitor is a man known as the Bishop who has just as many contacts in the underworld and often brokers deals for other criminals more than Rhodes.

The Bishop: The other major crime boss of New York, nobody knows anything about his past (which is the way he likes it). While David Rhodes tends to favor high tech crimes and schemes that involve the manipulation of others through blackmail and emotional manipulation, the Bishop works with members of the criminal underworld trying to make them better criminals by providing them with better contacts in the underworld (from fences of stolen goods to black market doctors) and even going as far as helping them to train in the use of their powers (and getting a cut of their future profits of course as payment for his 'help'). The Bishop has shown to have more than a passing knowledge of many areas - from super-science to magic and everything inbetween and isn't afraid to mix and mash them together to accomplish his goals.

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Arcadia:Arcadia is kind of outside the purview of the super hero community; lacking the advanced technology of Freedom City or New York, as well as the high ratio of super heroes of that populate those places, or the bad reputation of Detroit. Arcadia does have its fair share of heroic defenders and local villains, but most of them are not major players for the most part. In short, Arcadia doesn't have much to offer...

...Unless you possess abilities of a mystical nature that is.

Arcadia is home to one of the largest Ley Line Nexuses on the North American continent; in fact it is larger than the Nexus in Freedom City. This is partially due to the fact that the nearby Black Bayou which is a interdimensional nexus that opens up to not only the Imageria but the rest of the multiverse as well. As a result Arcadia is home to a substantial mystical community; both the Brimstone House and the Lodge have chapter houses in Arcadia (as well as a few other properties that are used on a semi-regular basis), and the town also has a substantial voodoo practice, making it a place visited by Siren from time to time. In Arcadia, old superstitions are a deadly serious matter and all the locals know all to well that things really do go bump in the night.

Local Heroes:

Nathan Colt: The latest person to have access to what is called the ‘Armory’, a hidden vault of mystical weapons and artifacts that has been maintained by the Lodge for several years, which he uses to fight the various supernatural threats to Arcadia. Nathan tends to keep a low profile but there are people who are aware of what he does and are thankful he does it.

Hangman: Eric Adams was a district attorney building a case against the local gang, the Warlords, who kidnapped Eric and beat him savagely as a message to those who might oppose them, Eric was left blind and nearly dead by the ordeal but he was found and healed by a Loa priest who give him two gifts to recompense for his loss: a bag of magical charms, and a raven through whose eyes Eric could see again. Now Eric fights crime both in the courtroom and on the streets as the Hangman. He often finds himself dealing with the Warlords, the group responsible for his becoming the Hangman, and the Mayombe who gives the Warlords their orders.

Notable Villains:

The Mayombe: It seemed there for a while that the Mayombe were going to die off. Lady Mamba had finally pushed Baron Samedi too far and the Earthbound Loa withdrew the little support he’d been giving to the Mayombe and Siren was able to oust Lady Mamba, her children and her cult from New Orleans within the last year. With their number now at the lowest they’d ever been the Mayombe drifted meaninglessly for weeks without a home before Lady Mamba realized what she had to do to save the Mayombe. It was radical and dangerous but the payoff would be worth while if she could do it and she wasted no time in making the needed arrangements.

Voodoo Dahlia never saw the betrayal coming, nor did she taste the potion in her drink that caused her to fall asleep and allowed her to be moved to a place her mother already had waiting for her. When Dahlia finally woke up she saw her mother standing over her with the ceremonial dagger in one hand and a soul jar in the other, she screamed for only a few seconds before having her spirit tore from her young body. Now with her spirit in her daughter’s body, Lady Mamba has set her sights o rebuilding the Mayombe with her son, Cottonmouth, still faithfully by her side. The Brimstone House has taken notice of their activities and the two groups have had minor conflicts with neither side taking the lead yet but that is sure to change as both sides are eager to gain an upper hand.

Master Pandemonium: Martin Preston was an actor who lost an arm in an accident and then sold his soul to demons in order to get a replacement. Instead Preston was transformed into a living portal to the netherworld, which allows him to summon demons to do his bidding.

Flay: A member of the Brimstone House who summoned various demons, bound them with magic then skinned them and grafted those skins onto his own body. He has the powers and abilities of all of his grafted parts (hellfire generation, regeneration, increased strength and resistance to injury ((including any fire/cold effects)) to name a few) as well as the unique ability to mold flesh like clay, turning humans into hideous abominations, and frequently vexes the people of Arcadia. Thankfully, the changes he makes tend to revert when he is defeated (most of the time).

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Complications:Motivation ~Greed: Raptor wants money and is willing to do pretty much anything to get it.

Background: James Tenfeathers grew up living a mostly quiet life on the reservation with his father, except for the wings that started to sprout from his back when he was seven years old that is.

When James showed the budding wings to his father, the older man finally broke down and told his son the truth; that his mother hadn’t didn’t giving birth to him. She’d given James over to his father to prevent her people, the Avians, from killing him. James’ father had discovered the ‘lost tribe’ of the Avians and had fallen in love with James’ mother, so when months later she discovered she was carrying James the couple went into hiding until she could give birth to their child as the Avians wanted to kill both of them for breaking their strict taboos on inter-species relations. Only a few days after James’ birth his mother returned to her people and the boy and his father never heard from her again. Heart broken, James’ father returned home with his child. He barely answered any questions put to him about the boy’s mother; saying that she’d died giving birth to him and he focused on raising his son.

Angry at what he saw as the lie his father had allowed him to live, James brow-beat the older man into moving their home further into the reservation; away from the other members of their tribe. In that desolate, mountainous land James’ wings grew to their full size as his body manifested other traits of his mother’s people and he took to the skies as often as he could to become as comfortable in the air as he was on the ground.

When he was sixteen James developed a new power: the ability to sheath his hands in a destructive energy that made his fists deadly weapons. It seems that he was a metaman as well as a Human/Avian hybrid, and he wasted no time in developing his skill with his newest talent to a deadly level of proficiency. By the time James was old enough he left his father, his lies and the reservation and became a super criminal with a chip on his shoulder (the size of a boulder at least). In the years since Raptor, as James named himself, has become known for being a violent, but dependable metaman for hire who is willing to take on any job.

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Complications:Motivation ~Power: The Bishop wants to have a lasting legacy of corruption unequaled by any one else.

Secret: The Bishop keeps his identity as Caiaphas, the Wandering Jew, hidden from everyone.

Background: The Bishop is also known as Caiaphas, the Wandering Jew-is the man who taunted Jesus on his way to be crucified, and was cursed to know no rest until the Second Coming because of his words. Throughout the centuries, he's become a bitter, angry man, having learned powerful magic and choosing a path of darkness and evil.

He first became active during World War II, calling himself the Alchemist and often fighting against the Allies of Freedom but not working for the Nazis (he hated them and occationally would work with the AoF against them), instead he was always working some plot to further his own personal profits but a few weeks before the end of the war he disappeared.

What Caiaphas did for the following sixty years is a mystery that he's never shared with anyone, but a couple of decades ago, he reappeared in the criminal underworld, calling himself the Bishop, and started to build a strong network of crime. While most of his work involves finacial profit he also started mentoring young villains and providing them aid while building his power base. He now prefers to act as the power behind various others, a venture he’s undertaken to corrupt as many people as possible and thus spit in the eye of the person who wronged all those many centuries ago.

Last edited by Tattooedman on Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:00 am, edited 1 time in total.